Antisplash seal for railway journal box



Oct. 6, 1964 J. .1. HENNESSY ANTISPLASH SEAL FOR RAILWAY JOURNAL BOX 2Sheets-Sheet 1 Filed July 5. 1961 FIGJ IN V EN TOR.

Oct. 6, 1964 Filed July 3. 1961 J. J. HENNESSY ANTISPLASH SEAL FORRAILWAY JOURNAL BOX 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 INVENTOR.

United States Patent 3,151,917 ANTISPLASH SEAL FER RAHLWAY JOURNAL BGXJames J. Hennessy, Chambersburg, Pa., assignor to Hennessy LubricatorCompany, Inc., Chambersburg,

Pa., a corporation of Delaware Filed July 3, 1961, Ser. No. 121,690 2fllaims. (Cl. 39883) The invention relates to the lubrication of railwayaxle journals and more particularly to preventing loss of oil throughthe opening at the inner end of a journal box. The requirement ofadequate oil supply to the journal at high speeds and particularly incold weather frequently results in the supply of oil to a higher levelthan is necessary for lubricating the bearing, and such oil is likely tosplash through the opening in the inner end wall of the box into thedust guard pocket and be lost from the pocket to the exterior of the boxbecause the oil and dust guard in the pocket does not prevent loss ofoil out of the back of the box when the lower part of the dust guardpocket is filled. The usual dust and oil guard cannot be applied orremoved without removing the box from the journal.

The main objects of the present invention are to apply an oil seal tothe axle inwardly of the box and without disassembling the box andjournal; to fit such a seal snugly to the axle; to adapt the seal formovement into and out of the box while the box and axle journal areassembled; and to accommodate jacking up the box for replacement of thejournal. These objects are attained by the structure illustrated in theaccompanying drawings, in which:

FIGURE 1 is a longitudinal vertical section through an Association ofAmerican Railroads (A.A.R.) journal box and journal assembly in whichthe journal is lubricated by a pad structure feeding oil by capillaryattraction from the bottom of the box to the journal.

FIGURE 2 is a detail perspective of the seal unit applied to the box andjournal shown in FIGURE 1.

FIGURE 3 is a perspective of an axle journal and box, with the boxbroken away in part, to which a mechanical pump lubricator is appliedand with which an antisplash seal embodying the invention is assembled.

The box shown in FIGURES l and 2 has a bottom wall 1, an outer rear wall2 and an inner rear wall 3, a forwardly and upwardly extending frontwall 4, a top wall 5 and side walls 6. The opening at the front end ofthe box is closed by a conventional spring pressed lid 8. The axle it?has a reduced diameter portion or dry seat 12 projecting into theinterior of the box, and a journal 14 provided with a collar 15. An axlebearing 17 and wedge 19 are mounted on the journal and support thejournal box and the load thereon. All of this structure is conventional.

Seated in the lower portion of the box is a pad 21 formed of cellularmaterial with tufted fabric walls for feeding lubricant by capillaryattraction from the bottom of the box to the journal. One form of such apad is illustrated in application Serial No. 75,879 filed December 9,1960, now Patent 3,135,563.

Assembled with the pad, journal and box is the antisplash seal detailedin HGURE 2 in which an upright sheet 23 of fibrous packing material,such as felt, is stapled or otherwise secured to a relatively stiifbacking plate 25 of metal or plastic and extends upwardly from the bodyof the plate a substantial distance, although the plate may have one ormore lugs 26 for supporting sheet 23. An elongated wire bail-likeelement 28 is pivoted at in a recessed lip 32 projecting rearwardly fromplate 25. Element 28 engages the lower portion of ribs 31 projectingforwardly of plate 25 and also extends beneath and is positioned by pad21. The wire of element 28 possesses sufiicient resiliency to thrustplate 25 and sheet 23 rearwardly against wall 3.

In this form of the invention, additional bail-like wires 34 are securedby staples 36, or otherwise, to the upper portions of plate 25 andextend forwardly therefrom and their forward ends engage opposite sidewalls 6 of the journal box and the upper side portions of pad 21.Elements 34 contribute to positioning the sheet and plate in the box.

The structure shown in FIGURE 3 includes a box, axle, journal, bearingand wedge similar to that shown in FIGURE 1 and the antisplash deviceincludes a fibrous sheet 41 and a relatively stiif backing plate 43corresponding to those parts previously described. The journal islubricated by a bellows-like pump 45 actuated by a bell crank 47, 48having an upright finger 49 opposing the journal collar 51 which playsback and forth in the box and thereby operates the pump. A shallowdistributor plate 53 with a fibrous sheet 55 is mounted upon pump 45 andconveys oil to the lower part of the journal substantially throughoutits length. Plate 53 and sheet 55 are supported against the journal by awire spring 57, 58 coiled about a pivot rod 59. The lower portion 58 ofthe spring extends rearwardly along the bottom wall of the box and ispivotally assembled with backing plate 43 similar to the assembly ofelements 25 and 23 previously described. The pump assembly, springs 57,5S and the antisplash device are thrust rearwardly of the box againstthe box rear wall r53 by a spring pressed yoke 65 and arms 67 on rod 59.This pump arrange ment is disclosed in Patent 2,753,227 issued July 3,i956.

In both forms of the invention the antisplash unit is readily insertedinto the box beneath the journal, and removed therefrom, withoutdisassembling the box and journal, and usually without even jacking upthe box and removing the wedge, as is customary when the bearing is tobe replaced. If the bearing is to be replaced, the box may be jacked up,and sheet 23, 41 will distort sufficiently to accommodate the approachof the box bottom wall to the journal.

With either of the structures disclosed, as long as the oil level L inthe box is beneath the upper edge of the lower portion of the innertransverse end wall, there will be no splashing or free flow of the oilover the upper edge of the lower portion of the wall, as is possiblewith the usual journal and box assembly. It will be understood that theantisplash plate supplements the oil and dust guard shown at G butsafeguards against the flow of oil into the dust guard pocket formedbetween the double transverse end walls of the box.

The details of the construction may be modified other than as describedabove and shown in the drawings without departing from the spirit of theinvention, and the exclusive use of modifications coming within thescope of the appended claims is contemplated.

What is claimed is:

1. In combination with a railway journal, bearing, and a journal boxmounted thereon and having a bottom wall, an inner transverse end wall,and side walls provided with inwardly projecting lugs for positioningthe journal bearing lengthwise of the box; an antisplash devicecomprising an upright sheet of fibrous material lying against the innerend wall of the box and having positioning elements extending forwardlytherefrom with their forward ends bearing against said lugs and being ofyielding material to press the upright sheet against the box inner rearwall.

a 2. The combination of railway journal, bearing, jour- References Citedin the file of this patent nal box, and antisplash device according toclaim 1 in UNITED STATES PATENTS which the journal box has a forwardopening and the upright sheet and the positioning elements therefor areg 6 g? flexible and yieldable transversely of their length to be 52162383 J 1939 dislodged from said lugs for removal of the device from231139O 2322: 23 1943 beneath the ournal and through the open iront ofthe 2,386,121 Jeffem et a1. Oct. 1945 box.

1. IN COMBINATION WITH A RAILWAY JOURNAL, BEARING, AND A JOURNAL BOXMOUNTED THEREON AND HAVING A BOTTOM WALL, AN INNER TRANSVERSE END WALL,AND SIDE WALLS PROVIDED WITH INWARDLY PROJECTING LUGS FOR POSITIONINGTHE JOURNAL BEARING LENGTHWISE OF THE BOX; AN ANTIPLASH DEVICECOMPRISING AN UPRIGHT SHEET OF FIBROUS MATERIAL LYING AGAINST THE INNEREND WALL OF THE BOX AND HAVING POSITIONING ELEMENTS EXTENDING FORWARDLYTHEREFROM WITH THEIR FORWARD ENDS BEARING AGAINST SAID LUGS AND BEING OFYIELDING MATERIAL TO PRESS THE UPRIGHT SHEET AGAINST THE BOX INNER REARWALL.